What are all the things that can be done and what exactly are the benefits?

dale

 

1)Remove spare tire and all tools
2)Remove driver and passenger seat replace with high quality racing seat (momo,tenzo)
3)Light weight wheels
4)remove rear seats completely
those are te easiest and most common if you really want a race car remove all seats but drivers carpet ac controls etc....

 

Thats not unsprung wieght

a better list

16-17" wheels in the lighter the better
2 peice rotors with aluminum calipers
lw flywheel
lw pulleys
lw rods and pistons

 

Agreed with wheels and brakes but what does the flywheel, pulleys and pistons have to do with unsprung weight? I thought unsprung weight was the weight of suspension and components directly attached toa suspension...Engine and transmission components would be part of the vehicle total weight, not the unsprung weight.

So add to this list sway bars, shocks/struts..etc

 

Its technically any weight under/attached the chassis that move with the car. But i added in the fw and others since the same concepts applys. All those parts have to move for the car to move and the lighter the faster and more efficiently the car moves.

 

my bad im an idiot sorry lol

 

No engine, doors, roof, etc. makes it really light.

 

There seems to be a bit of confusion in this thread,

Unsprung weight includes parts and components that do not load the suspension, a majority of the suspension components are included in this. Wheels, tires, hubs, brakes and rotors, sway bars, sometimes dampers, control arms and associated linkages, trailing arms, etc depending upon suspension design are included.

Sprung weight includes parts and components that induce a load on the suspension, either static or dynamic. Anything attached or linked above the springs are considered to be sprung mass. These components can be physically located lower in the center of gravity from the springs but if their primary link to the tires and ground travels through the springs/coilovers it fits this class.

Rotational weight includes parts and components that are associated with the rotating assemblies of the vehicle.
This includes the valvetrain drive and crank of the engine, flywheel, transmission shafts, driveshafts, hubs, brake rotors and wheels. These all account for rotational mass within the vehicle to some extent.

Overall weight encompasses the entire vehicle and all its attached components or objects/persons contained within.

To proceed with any weight reduction, no matter the type, you have to ask yourself what goals you have in mind for the vehicle. You can shed A LOT of overall weight but will undoubtedly sacrifice your cars quiet, comfortable and street-intended personality for more road and chassis noise and overall drone being transferred into the cabin. Rotation weight loss is great as your car will rev easier, not necessarily gaining any horsepower but it will be more efficiently transferred to the ground with less weight having to be initially displaced. The trade-off here is that you'll loose mass that transfers into motion, F=MA and when you subtract any amount of mass your overall force will be lower and thus initial torque onset will be lower until in motion. Unsprung mass is a win=win situation usually.... but it is costly (like any form of proper weight loss isn't) and the pounds saved per dollar will be lower. You also run the risk of having weaker components in the search for lighter, so be alert of this as a potential issue, and always look for the best parts to perform the intended function you are after.

Now on to the short list of things you can do.

Unsprung:
Lightweight wheels
Coilovers as their overall mass is lower than that of separate shocks and springs, they also typically have aluminum housings compared to steel extruded or stamped parts.
Lighter material comprised control arms and linkages (aluminum to steel if so equipped), I believe most all of Audi's control arms are aluminum though - AudiTech could verify this for me.
Aluminum hat brake rotors with slotting (less mass, no matter how minor)
Aluminum brake calipers
In-board relocation of dampers (not readily possible in the TT chassis)

Rotational:
Knife-edged and lightened crank
Lightweight flywheel
Lightweight driveshaft and axleshafts
Lightened pistons and rods (Reciprocal mass components converts its power to rotational via the crankshaft and thus plays a role here)
(Other components mentioned earlier are inclusive as well, such as wheels and rotors)

Overall:
Exhaust system, factory units are usually very heavy stainless steel and some components are even cast iron. Cat converters and large OE mufflers weight much more than most aftermarket units, could possibly be eliminated completely or replaced with titanium/magnesium systems.
Anything non-critical to the operation of the vehicle, this includes interior trim and appointments, seating surfaces (except driverside), safety restraints and assisting systems (except driverside), HVAC and radio controls and components, etc.
Any and all sound deadening materials.
Glass can be replaced with polycarbonate if you are very serious and have no intentions of a public road faring vehicle.
Lighter body panels of aluminum or composites.
Reinforcement bars and brackets, such as the side-impact bars in the doors (may want to leave this stuff in place for the most part as they typically have added benefits in stiffening the chassis)

This is by no means a complete list and may not be TT specific as I'm not very firmiliar with its assemblies and construction just yet.